Google’s ICT-enabling solution for the SMEs
By DALJIT DHESIdaljit@thestar.com.my
THE opening of Google Inc's office in Kuala Lumpur last month is aimed at spurring the development of the local information and communications technology (ICT) and benefitting all businesses, including the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
By having proper and relevant ICT tools, some 550,000 SMEs will have an opportunity to broaden their markets, minimise costs and boost profitability.
Google Malaysia country manager Sajith Sivanandan says there is tremendous potential in the SME market for the search engine company judging by the numbers.
“This segment, being the backbone of the Malaysian economy, makes up about 99% of the country's businesses and accounts for 56% of the total workforce.
“One of the difficulties that SMEs face is that they do not have their own websites to reach out to a greater audience and boost their sales. We are working on some products that will enable them to develop their websites promptly and hope to announce this initiative in the coming months,'' he says in an interview.
Sivanandan says Malaysia is a significant country in South-East Asia in terms of the growth in the digital economy and there is great potential moving forward.
Sivanandan says Google will help small and large businesses to grow and reach new markets.
Customers can use the Google search engine to find SMEs products and services effectively via the websites, he says.
Seventy-two per cent of Malaysians currently use search engines to look for products and services and 57% of Malaysians make transactions online. It is estimated that about 17 million Malaysians are online.
The company also plans to offer more business stimulus programmes by tying up with relevant parties that will benefit the SMEs.
Last year, Google in collaboration with the International Trade and Industry Ministry, Multimedia University and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, offered a SME Business Stimulus Package that enables local businesses to be cost-effective and access a wider market.
This package, among others, allows SMEs to access their potential customers online and grow their businesses cost effectively via the user-friendly websites and online marketing campaigns.
Besides developing websites, the company will also assist the small businesses to design their websites and create effective online advertisements.
Google's online advertising platform (AdWords) enables a company, irrespective of its size, to reach out to millions of Internet users in Malaysia and 73% of all Internet users globally.
Some case studies in Malaysia have shown that AdWords has boosted online traffic by 200% and encouraged more sales.
A chiropractor in Petaling Jaya who had used the platform had experienced a 93% surge in online traffic and generated return on investment of RM7 for each RM1 invested on the platform.
Founded in 1998 by Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google is a top Web property in all major global markets.
Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
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